ST. LOUIS — A 24-year-old woman from St. Louis died in a car crash while she was away in college in Indiana. The family of Zinyetta Morgan is honoring her life as police try to figure out what led up to the crash.
Multiple people describe the Indiana State college student as a "bright light." Her family was devastated by the tragedy that they never saw coming.
"This was so unexpected. So unexpected,” said family friend, Paula Nixon.
Morgan’s mother got the word Tuesday.
"She was just devastated when the police showed up to her door,” Zinyetta’s Uncle Ralph Turner said.
Morgan was killed in a car crash in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she attended Indiana State University. Police say her car collided with another car before veering off of the roadway, striking a large pole.
"Zinny," as her loved ones called her, grew up in North City. She graduated from Lift for Life and St. Louis Community College.
"We are devastated by Zinyetta’s sudden death. Indiana State University extends our thoughts and condolences to her family, friends, and everyone fortunate enough to know her," Dr. Deborah Curtis, president of the university said in a statement. "We will continue to respect the family’s privacy and provide more information as it becomes available.”
"She was an only child, but you never would know she was an only child because she had a big heart of gold,” Turner said.
She recently became part of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Her family says she wanted to go into the mortuary business and loved attending church. In fact, she took her faith with her on a study-abroad trip to Ghana, Africa.
"When she came back she shared the fact that people who had never even heard of God, who would normally not have been worshipping God, she introduced them,” Nixon said.
Now loved ones are trying to keep Zinny's mom strong. She's become all too familiar with grief.
"She has lost her father. Three years later she lost her sister. Approximately four years after that, she lost her mom and a few years after that, she lost her husband,” Turner said.
And now her beloved daughter, who the family vows to never forget.
"One of the happiest people in the family,” her cousin Eric Mayes said.
The other driver in the crash survived. Police are still investigating.
Zinyetta was set to graduate from ISU later this year. She would have turned 25 next month.
This is a developing story. Additional details will be added.